A Tea Party
by Shellysbees
Summary: Prompt from sassythesasfrass on tumblr: i have this au where john and Sherlock have this little girl throughout all their adventures. But my favorite part is when Sherlock has Moriarty over for that tea "party" and the girl is there and makes them wear princess crowns and feather boas and has stuffed animals and asks if they want more tea and cookies throughout their serious convo


"Not guilty. They found him not guilty. No defense and Moriarty's walked free. Sherlock are you listening? He's out. You know he'll be coming after you."

Ending the call with John Sherlock surveyed the sitting room. Hailey had taken over the floor with her toys, much like he himself took over the kitchen with his experiments. He had no doubt that Moriarty was already on his way over, he would beat John here. Normally Sherlock would just take Hailey downstairs to Mrs. Hudsons, but she had already bid them goodbye for the day, something about a bingo party.

The four year old was diligently recreating Big Ben out of blocks. Her eyes were narrowed and Sherlock was sure if he were to check the recreation would be perfectly to scale. Hailey may have been John's child, but she had been raised by the both of them and was a perfect example of nurture trumping nature.

"Hai, I need you to take your toys to your room. Stay there until myself or daddy come and get you. Understand?" Sherlock spoke as he stood up from the sofa, straightening his suit. He couldn't expose her to Moriarty, no that wouldn't do at all. They had managed to keep her existence from Moriarty and the media and he was not about to put her in harms way.

The young girl regarded him carefully before answering, "Why?"

She was really far too much like himself. John was perfect, never really questioned Sherlock or his motives, perfect blind trust. Hailey was quite the opposite, he loved it.

It had been hard at first. He knew John was perfect the moment he'd met him at Barts, but there was always something he missed. He was sure he'd worked out everything there was to know of the army doctor, but then he had pulled up to 221b that first day with a small blond in tow. He would have never guessed that John was a father, much less a widower. In any case, they had managed to make their lifestyle work, and Sherlock had become a second father to her.

"Hailey. Pick up your toys and go to your room." He gave her a look that challenged her to defy him.

She knew better than to argue with Sherlock anyways. Carefully disassembling her tower she started cleaning up her toys. Sherlock quickly helped her, gathering all of her toys and carrying them upstairs for her. Once she was safely upstairs he reminded her not to come down stairs or make any noise until himself or John came to get her.

Sherlock made it downstairs just in time to prepare the tea and make sure he'd hid any indication that a young child had been living with them since John had moved in two years before. Picking up his Stradivarius he began slowly playing, waiting for the Consulting Criminal to show up.

Sure enough a few minutes later he heard the familiar creak of someone slowly walking into the room.

"Most people knock." Sherlock started, not yet turning around to face the intruder, "But then you're not most people, I suppose." He gestured towards the table with his bow where he had set the tea minutes before, "Kettles just boiled"

Grabbing an apple from the bowl on the coffee table Moriarty made his way into the sitting room, surveying his surroundings.

"Johann Sebastian would be appalled." he drawled, seemingly bored. He tossed the apple in the air and looked around as if he wasn't sure where to sit. "May I?"

Sherlock finally turned to face him, pointing at John's seat with his bow as he responded.

"Please."

Taking Sherlock's seat instead Moriarty kept talking, ignoring the fact that the simple act of defiance obviously unnerved the detective.

"You know when he was on his death bed, Bach, he heard his son at the piano playing one of his pieces. The boy stopped before he got to the end ..."

"... and the dying man jumped out of his bed, ran straight to the piano and finished it." Sherlock cut him off, finishing the story quickly. He didn't need Moriarty to tell him trivial facts he was already aware of.

"Couldn't cope with an unfinished melody."

"Neither can you. That's why you've come." Sherlock quipped as he poured tea for the both of them, and took his seat.

"But be honest," Jim started, idly cutting into the apple with his penknife, "you're just a tiny bit pleased."

"What?" Sherlock's eyes narrowed as he added milk to one of the cups, and handed it to Moriarty, "With the verdict?"

"With me," He stated softly, "Back on the streets." Gazing over the top of his cup at Sherlock with a wry smile he added in a sing song voice, "Every fairy-tale needs a good old-fashioned villain."

Turning away Sherlock finished his own tea, not sure how to respond.

"You need me, or you're nothing. Because we're just alike, you and I – except you're boring." Moriarty shook his head in disappointment, "You're on the side of the angels."

"Got to the jury, of course." Sherlock offered, changing the subject. He could faintly hear Hailey moving about upstairs, but he hoped Moriarty would write the sound off as something outside.

"I got into the Tower of London; you think I can't worm my way into twelve hotel rooms?" He chuckled softly, taking another sip of his tea.

"Cable network." Sherlock breathed softly, all of the pieces falling into place in his mind.

Jim smiled maliciously, "Every hotel bedroom has a personalised TV screen, and every person has their pressure point; someone that they want to protect from harm..." He lifted his tea to his lips, "Easy-peasy, but it appears you've been hiding something from me Sherly."

Sherlock immediately tensed, but tried to brush off the topic away. "So how're you going to do it... burn me?" He swallowed thickly and blew gently on the steaming cup of tea.

"Oh yes.. the final problem.. Well, we can talk about that later, I've already told you anyways... How about you call down you're lovely daughter?" He smiled wickedly as Sherlock pressed his lips together tightly.

"She has nothing to do with any of this. Besides, she's John's daughter, not mine."

Moriarty laughed as he set down his tea. "Oh come now, we both know that's not quite true. I suggest you bring her down to meet me if you want her to be just as beautiful when your pet gets home."

"You will not touch a hair on her head." Sherlock was leaning forward in his chair, knuckles flushed white as he gripped the chair.

"Ohh." Moriarty chuckled giddily. "I seem to have struck a chord. Don't worry, as long as you introduce us I will leave her alone, for now."

Unable to figure a way out of the situation Sherlock stood from his chair swiftly, and made his way upstairs to fetch Hailey. She had rebuilt the replica of Big Ben and was staring at the doorway as he pushed his way in. "Is daddy home?" She asked immediately, glancing around Sherlock's thin frame to look down the stairs.

"No. We have a visitor. Come down stairs, but," Sherlock dropped to one knee so he could grip the small blondes shoulders, looking into her eyes, imploring her to listen to him. "Do not talk to him. Stay perfectly quiet you understand?"

"I heard the teapot... are you having a tea party?" Her head cocked to the side curiously, making her look very much like John. Sherlock's features softened and he nodded.

"Yeah, we're having a tea party, but we need to talk about grown up things so you need to stay very quiet. Can you do that?"

She nodded happily, wonderfully oblivious to what was going on. She hurried around the room burdening her arms with objects she thought suitable for a tea party before starting down the stairs ahead of Sherlock. Moriarty's eyes followed her as she dropped everything in her arms on the carpet in front of Sherlock's chair.

She chose a soft pink boa and walked over to Moriarty, her eyes downcast a bit, and handed it to the man. "Thank you, my dear. And what is your name?"

Sherlock was slowly walking across the room, watching the scene with trepidation. Hailey looked back to him questioningly, asking permission before she spoke to the stranger. Sherlock nodded, unfortunately he wasn't in any position to deny Moriarty anything he wanted at the moment.

"Hailey Watson." She said softly before scurrying back to where Sherlock was sitting and plopping down next to her toys. She looked back to the stranger as he obliged, donning the fluffy boa, causing the little girl to smile brightly.

"My names Jim." He said, eyes focused on Hailey, no longer interested in Sherlock for the moment. "I'm a friend of your fathers."

She shook her head gently, brows furrowing in a very Watson like manner. "No you're not. Father doesn't like you." She looked up at Sherlock who was now seated in John's chair, leering protectively over the little girl.

Moriarty's attention snapped back to the detective. "Oh, she's smart... Rubbing off on her are you?"

Sherlock grit his teeth, his fingers were back to digging into the arms of the chair. "The problem." He spat, wanting to hurry along the conversation.

"Oh,yes.. the problem – the final problem. Have you worked out what it is yet?" Sherlock took a sip of his tea and looked over the top of his cup at Moriarty, his eyebrows pinched together slightly in confusion. "What's the final problem? I did tell you," His voice raised to a sing song tone as he continued, "but did you listen?"

Hailey pulled out a green boa for Sherlock, tapping his knee gently to get his attention. He accepted the gift with half a smile, carding his fingers through her wispy blond hair, avoiding Moriarty's taunt.

"How hard do you find it, having to say 'I don't know'?"

"I dunno." Sherlock quipped nonchalantly, turning his attention back to the criminal in front of him.

"Oh, that's clever; that's very clever; awfully clever." Moriarty chuckled, but was cut off before he could continue by Hailey jumping up and running back into the kitchen. Both men stopped, watching her carefully, Moriarty with a hint of amusement.

She returned moments later with a box of biscuits. Scooping two tiaras from the ground she set one in Sherlock's lap and the other in Moriarty's. She glared at Moriarty pointedly until he obliged and set the plastic tiara on his head with a defeated sigh. Sherlock's lips twitched into something that resembled a smile at the sight of Moriarty being controlled by a four year old. When she turned to give her father the same defiant look he nodded and placed the matching tiara on his own head.

"We're having a tea party," Sherlock explained as Moriarty shot him a confused look.

Moriarty's patience seemed to be wearing thin, but he accepted the biscuits being dealt to him. "Fine. Have you told your little friends yet?"

"Told them what?" Sherlock asked as he took his own biscuits. Hailey had dropped back down on the floor in front of Sherlock. She was sipping at an empty plastic cup, her eyes traveling back and forth between the two men.

"Why I broke into all those places and never took anything." Moriarty answered, setting his saucer and cup aside.

"No."

"But you understand."

"Obviously."

"Off you go, then." Moriarty picked up the apple again, working out a small piece and sliding it in his mouth with the flat of his penknife. Hailey had forgotten about her fake tea and was leaning forward eagerly, hanging onto every word.

"You want me to tell you what you already know?" Sherlock spat, obviously irritated.

"No; I want you to prove that you know it." Jim retorted, seemingly amused.

"You didn't take anything because you don't need to." Sherlock explained.

"Good." Moriarty offered, waiting for more of an explanation.

"You'll never need to take anything ever again."

"Very good. Because ...?" Moriarty was digging, he wanted Sherlock to prove just how brilliant he was.

"Because nothing ... nothing in the Bank of England, the Tower of London or Pentonville Prison could possibly match the value of the key that could get you into all three." Sherlock had finally hit the nail on the head, and that made Moriarty smile. It wasn't nearly as fun, toying with Sherlock afar.

"I can open any door anywhere with a few tiny lines of computer code. No such thing as a private bank account now – they're all mine. No such thing as secrecy – I own secrecy. Nuclear codes – I could blow up NATO in alphabetical order. In a world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king; and honey, you should see me in a crown." Hailey giggled at this, and he glared back at the child, ripping the tiara from his head and tossing it to the floor.

Sherlock dropped a hand to the top of Hailey's head, willing her not to speak. "You were advertising all the way through the trial. You were showing the world what you can do."

"And you were helping. Big client list: rogue governments, intelligence communities ... terrorist cells. They all want me." Jim lifted another chunk of apple to his lips as he continued. "Suddenly, I'm Mr. Sex."

"If you could break any bank, what do you care about the highest bidder?"

Hailey's attention had fallen back to her own fake tea. Grabbing the plastic tea pot she tottered between the two of them, pretending to top off their cups.

"I don't." Moriarty chuckled, leaning forward on his knees. "I just like to watch them all competing. 'Daddy loves me the best!' Aren't ordinary people adorable? Well, you know: you've got the Watsons. I should get myself a live-in one."

"Hailey," Sherlock started in warning, drawing her into his lap as she walked back over. "Why are you doing all of this?" Sherlock growled, he was practically clutching the small girl to his chest. She stayed calm, toying with the green boa draped across his neck.

"It'd be so funny." Moriarty continued, his mind still on the idea of having a live in, and his focus fell on the little girl as he said so.

"You don't want money or power – not really." Sherlock pushed on. He had to change the subject, had to protect them. "What is it all for?"

Digging his penknife into the apple and setting it aside Moriarty finally moved on. "I want to solve the problem – our problem; the final problem."

"It's gonna start very soon, Sherlock: the fall." He lowered his head so he was looking at Sherlock and Hailey with half lidded eyes. "But don't be scared. Falling's just like flying except there's a more permanent destination." He whistled playfully, mimicking the cartoon sounds of someone falling.

"Never liked riddles." Sherlock spat, one arm still clutched around Hailey protectively.

"Learn to. Because I owe you a fall, Sherlock. I ... owe ... you."

The two men glared at each other for a few seconds until Moriarty stood and left the room silently. When Sherlock heard the front door of 221b close he released Hailey. She dropped to the ground and grabbed the apple off the side table before he had a chance to move. Sherlock stood swiftly and took it from her, glaring down at the offensive fruit. He looked down to his daughter, who was looking up at him curiously.

"I don't like him." She stated seriously, arms crossed over her chest.

He let out a soft sigh. Setting the apple back on the side table he scooped his daughter up into his arms, his chest felt painfully tight. He would do anything to protect her. "I know Hai. I don't like him either." Pressing a soft kiss to her cheek he set his tiara on her head. "But he's gone now princess. I won't let him near you again. I promise." She was barely interested in what he was saying, more intrigued by wrapping the green boa around the both of them, but he repeated the two words, assuring himself that he would keep that promise.


End file.
